Our Favorite Products of 2018

As 2018 comes to a close, the team and I reflect on some of our favorite products. Things that are fun, versatile, and affordable for not just businesses, but also individuals (like we all are!). We have bought and used these items in our personal lives, and are so excited to share them with you! And make sure to read all the way to the end for a special gift! Now let's dive right in...

Silver Linings Photo Blocks got their name from the metallic silver edges (but they also come in a shiny black!). They work great in all the same places as Pinchbooks, including as POP displays at photography studios, same-day photo gift pickups, print and mail shops, pharmacy photo departments, grocery store holiday isles, and more! Super simple to use, the user just peels off a corner of the liner, lines up their photo and sticks it down, then peels of the rest of the liner and pushes their print down. In just 5 seconds you can make a gorgeous and modern framed print that can be hung on the wall, stand straight on it's own, or stand at an angle with the screw-in kickstand (conveniently snaps into the back of the frame).

Mallory commented, "So I bought some of the photo blocks in addition to the Pinchbooks. They are super cool and modern. I love that they can be on a desk using the little screw-in kickstand, stand up on their own, or be hung up on the wall. Again, these make a great photo gift which, as we know, people just LOVE to receive."

DIY sticky-back photo frames are perfect; they look expensive, but are very affordable, and they are so easy to use that you can truly make these photo displays in just a few seconds. Photo block frames are perfect for any holiday or event in your life; we all know that photo gifts that come from the heart are the most cherished.

Pinchbooks are a fairly new product that was launched recently (only about a year ago) and since then, they have become a HUGE hit! Photography studios will use them for fast-turnaround photobooks for their customers, as well as sell them as POP displays for their client's to buy. Pharmacies sell them completed in their photo departments for same-day pickup photo books, and grocery stores and putting them in their holiday isles so customers can buy them for last minute Christmas gifts. They are so popular because of their low price, their premium hard cover look, and just how easy they are to use -- just open the covers, insert your photos (or any pages) and close the cover again. The spine features a patented "pinching" technology that holds onto your pages so they won't fall out, but allows for easy editing as often as you want.

Mallory commented, "Pinchbooks are great! I bought a box of 10 last Christmas and put together little photo albums with our holiday family photos to give to our grandparents. They are totally affordable for individuals since you only have to buy 5 or 10 (depending on the size) and they are so simple. They really are a great way to make super fast photo gifts for last-minute presents too. Plus, a DIY photo gift is always something that is cherished and appreciated!"

Pinchbooks can also work great for businesses as a way to make premium hard cover presentations without needing any binding machine. A huge time saver and money saver, these DIY hard covers are easy, affordable, and so professional.

Thermal toner foil brings the ability to make gorgeous metallic foiled prints into your home or office, without any specialized foil printing equipment. Instead, all you need to foil is a pouch laminator, the foil itself, and a paper printed with toner. The specialized foil is heat activated and will only stick to the toner hat is printed. There are hundreds of colors available too, including traditional metallic options, matte foils, pigment foils, holographic patterns that are either transparent (to show the color of your toner underneath) or silver, glitter, foil, and more.

Shannon commented, "The thermal foil is great! I love to use it for Christmas cards! There are so many colors, and every time we get a new color in stock I get so excited to 'test' it out!"

Toner reactive foil is perfect for any holiday, as well as for crafters and artists who sell on Etsy, businesses looking to make more elegant letterhead and business cards, and even just individual DIY'ers who want to make cards or gifts. Simple, affordable, and so gorgeous; try thermal reactive foil today.

Self-adhesive pockets, also called sticky-back, are actually our most sold item of 2018 in addition to some of our staff's favorites. The business card size is the most popular, and holds inserts up to 3 ¾" x 2 ⅜". They are affordable, and so versatile! Traditional use for profit businesses is on ring binders or pocket folders as a place to insert (you guessed it) a business card, so your client can equally know how to contact you. Non-profits also use them as a way to organize and file appropriate information. These sticky pockets come in many more sizes, including triangular corner pockets, half-sheet pockets, CD and media pockets, letter size, legal size, and binder spine labels.

Staff member Mallory commented, "I volunteer at a local animal shelter, and I brought in a pack of these to use as an easier way to label the mod's where the animals are kept, as well as specific needs of each mod. So, for example, we have a rigid acrylic holder that is attached to each mod for the primary information, but for things like special diets, or an illness that precludes volunteers from handling them, they were just using tape to stick on little indicators. With these pockets, we could easily insert individual cards that won't fall off, and allow for each changing of the contents. We also use them in the binders (each animal has their own medical and history binder) for the same kind of indicators."

Self-stick pockets start at only about $10 for a box of 100, depending on the size, making them easily attainable by businesses of all kinds, including small business, as well as even individuals (like Mallory).

Most poly binders you can buy at the store are flimsy and tear fairly easily; but we manufacture ours from a higher quality polyethylene or polypropylene (depending on the color) that doesn't tear or crack. This makes them incredibly popular for hospitals and medical facilities, schools, animal shelters, and more. They are easily wiped clean and sanitized, and can hold up to pretty extreme handling. Also called plastic binders, they come in letter size (standard) or mini binders (half size), as well as several ring sizes.

Shannon commented, "These binders are so great for schools! They are pretty inexpensive, but durable enough to even last several school years. We will often donate binder packs them to schools in need. We also sent some with Mallory to the animal shelter to replace their tearing vinyl binders; they're much more durable and easily sanitized, which is so important in an environment with a lot of potential germ and virus exposure."

Poly binders are a favorite among all kinds of businesses. Nature and gardening groups, churches, and many others also choose to have them custom printed with their logos; just one more reason why these binders are so cool.

Thank you so much for reading about our 2018 favorite products!Use Coupon Code: BLG2018FAV for 5% off everything we discussed!

About the Author • Mallory Morsa has worked in several different departments in her 10+ years at Binding101. Beginning in customer service and sales, she honed in her skills to provide the customer with professional, fast, and accurate information. Shortly after, she was promoted to sales supervisor and also took on the role of product expert, training the team on new products and offering support wherever needed. Throughout this time, she also wrote content for the site, as well as contributed stock photography and videography. As the team grew, she was able to move to a new official position as the content specialist and social media manager. Her skills in these variety of areas give her the unique expertise to not just create content for the web, but to create content for YOU, the customer.

In her free time, Mallory's favorite things to do include volunteering at the animal shelter bottle feeding neonatal kittens, reading at the park, and binge streaming TV shows with her 3 furbabies and family beside her.